The Power of Photography: Hospice Portraits by Mary Landberg

Today’s post is a special one that is near and dear to my heart. Recently I came across a blog called Hospice Portraits written and photographed by Mary Landberg. Mary is a hospice nurse who creates hand portraits for families whose loved one is at the end of life. In so doing, she gives her patients a phenomenal, absolutely extraordinary gift and Silver Lining amid the pain and sadness of dying and death.

As you may recall, I was a pediatric hospice nurse. I remember so vividly doing hand molds of dying children with their siblings and parents. From my personal experience, I know firsthand how valuable and long (generational!) lasting the gift of memory is.

Mary’s mission is to: “capture the unwavering expression of love that endures between people while living with terminal illness.” She believes (as do I!) that hand portraiture “preserves the important expression of love. Each hand is different; a symbol of identity that embodies character and tells stories. Hands reveal honest emotion. Hands are for holding.”

I am so grateful to Mary for the work that she does and for stopping by The Silver Pen for a visit.

Hollye, this is a beautiful post and she is doing truly an angel's job taking those pictures. Oh, how I wish I had thought of that with my parents. I know those portraits mean the world to the families.

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Hollye’s book, The Silver Lining: A Supportive and Insightful Guide to Breast Cancer, was published by Simon & Schuster on March 2014. The book is co-authored by her dear friend, photographer Elizabeth Messina. It became a New York Times, Washington Post and LA Times bestseller.